So, this sounded really good?

It was hot. It was completely devoid from reality. It was try to do something clever and failed. But it was really hot. Sometimes after an author has a successful book you find that their books get longer. They don't necessarily get better, but they definitely get longer. Look at the Harry Potter series. This book should have been at least 30% shorter.

The main characters are both kinda problematic for different reasons and instead of working on themselves are apparently going to just continue to be co-dependent. The book felt like it was trying to redefine the bisexual slut, and be sex-positive, when one of the characters doesn't really have a healthy relationship with sex AT ALL (it's hard not to spoil, but there are comments about using it to not be alone which is... not healthy). (and as a side note: what kind of slut that sleeps with people with penises isn't carrying condoms with them all the time? as a bisexual slut I can tell you I do, it's only practical! even if you're not looking for penetration, they have other safe-sex related uses!)

It reads like a teenager that's just discovered this new shiny author (you know, Vonnegut or Plath or Kerouac) and it's the most serious thing in the world, but you wouldn't understand because no one has ever been so seen or understood, mum, no one gets me, i'm going to my room, etc, etc. Or an American that's watched too many films about Western Europe.

Honestly, it would be lower but it was pretty hot.

I have loved all of this authors books and yes this book again did not disappoint!! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

this book is just not it, there was so much potential but it boiled down to shallow entitled ANNOYING characters ??? why anyone would think a “who can have more sex this summer” competition with their ex is a good idea is beyond me and tbh (to me) this book just perpetuated the idea that all bisexuals are just sex craved lunatics ???

This story was exactly what I needed, two exes who end up on the same food & wine tour who join a competition to prove how over each other they are! The Angst! Loved this!

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 | 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐲 𝐌𝐜𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧 | 𝟑*

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐓𝐨 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭:
⟡ LGBTQ+ romance
⟡ Non-binary MC
⟡ Told in two halves
⟡ European food and wine tour
⟡ Childhood best friends to lovers to exes
⟡ Second chance romance
⟡ Miscommunication trope
⟡ A sex competition 😩😂

𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:
Um. Wow. 😂

What I love about CM romances is that her characters invest so fully in their love interests, their emotionally vulnerable and yet heart-eyed descriptions of each other genuinely make me yearn for the same experiences and usually endears me to the characters.

But the best way I can describe this book is an adventurous bisexual bonk-fest that is defiant of traditional gender ideals. The writing is as gorgeous as ever, full of poignancy, completely beguiling and with sparks of humour to finish a prose that is captivating. I’ve also never craved wine and pastries so much whilst reading a book before. However, I had some issues which tapered my enjoyment.

The two main characters, Theo and Kit, oscillate ridiculously from anguish to arousal constantly. This is encouraged by an entire character cast that is perpetually horny. The characters would visit a European setting, describe the food and drink in wonderful in-depth ways, then go and have sex with other people, each other, and sometimes each other AND other people. All whilst mutually pining for the other.

I felt that 1. Somebody needed to throw a bucket of cold water over the two. 2. I found it hard to feel the chemistry between Theo and Kit when they’re giving all this passion away to every single person they meet on tour. I actually kind of wish the main romantic pairing was platonic which is never good to wish for in a romance.

The story was really repetitive. Visit somewhere - eat good food - drink good wine - bonk everyone - move on. It was also so much more explicit than I expected. I typically love steamy romance but even I draw the line at licking buttholes 😂. This is the kind of filthy romance that makes me feel like I’ll never be clean again.

𝐅𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐐𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬:
𝘐 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘫𝘢𝘸 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘣 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘰𝘬𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘰𝘯𝘦-𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵, 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩. 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰.
𝘙𝘪𝘭𝘬𝘦 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦, “𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘐 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴?”

“𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘪𝘧 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘪𝘵.”

If there's two things a book should be, it's horny and queer. And this book was definitely that.

I ended up really enjoying this one. It's not going to work for everybody - It's frankly pretentious and with not that much plot. But for me that's sort of the point (and, let's all be real. RWARB was also pretty pretentious. Sometimes it's fun, ok!) It's supposed to be indulgent and decadent and sexy. It's very much a summer book.

I liked Theo a lot as a character. I think their struggles did come across as very real. I felt like I was waiting for them to have the discussion about their pronouns, simply so the reader knew how to feel about the pronouns others used for them, but I understand why that discussion came when it did. I really like Kit's reaction to it and it really made sense for the characters. I liked Kit as well, though he's very much the archetype of 'boy who you would fall in love with', and his half of the novel was a little bit slower. To be totally honest this could have been 50 pages shorter, and the pining got a bit much in the end.

But all in all I thought this was dreamy and romantic. Casey is so good at writing these very particular type of characters. The characters are the romance. The setting is the romance. Like I said, not much happens. But the journey the characters go on is worth it. This is one of those books where you're either going to Get it or you're not.

Please Note - I will not share public reviews until the conclusion of the SMP Marketing Boycott

I realised pretty quickly into this book that it was not for me. Whilst the writing itself is fine, this book lacked the charm and fun I have always found from Casey McQuiston's books.

The MCs just didn't have the level of trust of the dynamic for me to ever find myself fully rooting for them or truly believing they would work in the long run. This books just unfortunately lacked the chemistry that CMQ has always provided for me and unfortunately, this was a miss.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed large portions of the history between the MCs and setting - so whilst this story may not be fore me, I do believe this could be a 5-star read for the right audience.

Thank you for the e-ARC

Thank you to Macmillan and NetGalley for the ARC.

Dionysus ghost writes now?

This is pure hedonism, following two best friends/exes as they accidentally reunite on a food and wine tour of France, Spain, and Italy. They have a lot of sex (not necessarily with each other), eat a lot of food, and drink a lot of wine. This is also the miscommunication trope on steroids, so be warned.

I've read two McQuinston books before this one, and I can see either their writing improving or their acceptance of using AI as a writing tool. I loved the humour, and the vivid descriptions of all the towns, the sights, the food, the drinks, even the descriptions of people I really enjoyed. It was detailed and yet unique in it's metaphors. I liked the split POV literally being split down the middle. I learned a lot, and am now very sad I can't go on the same tour.

As with the other two books, I do feel like The Pairing could have been 50-100 pages shorter. I'm interested to know how long the first draft was, if the final is 400+ pages (my page goal for the year isn't complaining, though). And I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry, but I do not like Kit or Theo. They are both self-righteous and whiny and pretentious, even after their "growth", and I'm not sure McQuinston can see that. Also, the side characters felt a bit caricaturistic, a bit too oversaturated and fake. I saw another review naming it all as vapid, and unfortunately I do agree.

Overall I did like The Pairing, but I didn't love it. If you're dreaming of a Southern European holiday, or are an especially horny polyamorous pansexual slightly alcoholic foodie, you may enjoy it a hell of a lot more.

3.5/5

This book is one massive tease in the best possible way - it's like a feast for the senses, with vivid descriptions of stunning architecture, decandent foods, delicious drinks, and so much horniness and angst. The format is different to Casey's other books, but it really works to get the story across in the most impactful way. The representation is on point without ever feeling preachy, and both main characters are extremely lovable. Kind of hoping for another book set in the same universe, because some of the supporting cast were 👌🏻✨️ as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for proving this ARC for me to review.

The Pairing is one of those books that drags you in quickly and devours you. When I started reading it, I quickly grew to enjoy Theo’s narration, their exploration of the four years since they last saw Kit and how different they are now. Theo is a character who I could relate to a lot, their half of the book was fun to pick apart as you watch them come to terms with how they feel and felt about Kit.

When we then get to explore Kit’s side of the narrative, I fell deeper in love with these two. From the Rilke quotes to the discussions of food and wine across Europe acting as a catalyst for so many changes. I really enjoyed the pacing of this book as well as the characterisation of both protagonists, and how they developed and grew over the narrative.

I will say that I would have loved there to be something bigger at the emotional climax of the book, it either needed to be less stretched and thinned out or just bigger to give a greater impact to the reader.

Overall, I deeply loved this book and it has cemented my enthusiasm for Casey McQuiston’s writing and can’t wait for this book to be out in the world to see other people enjoy it as much as I did.

Theo and Kit have known each other since they were children. They were each others crushes and then they crushed each others hearts after a bad break up 4 years ago. They both end up on the same European tour, and decide to embark on a bet to see who can hook up with the most people during their tour. But sometimes opening your heart to new things, can let the old things in too. I loved this book, it was an incredible read. Casey McQuiston has written another masterpiece.

Kit and Theo started off as best friends and realised they were in love with each other, went through a messy breakup and now end up on a food tour of Europe together. The book is split into two halves, Theo goes first giving her/their view on what had happened in their relationship and suggesting a sex competition with her ex that they still harbour feelings for-what could go wrong?! So the first half of the book is two bisexuals trying to sleep with every gorgeous young thing they find around France and Spain. For the second half of the book Kit takes over and the random hookups finish (thank god) and the current feelings and miscommunications between the pair are finally aired out. It took me a while to get through this book, I loved One Last Stop and was excited to read this but being at a very different stage of life to the two main characters made their thoughts and decisions sometimes hard to sympathise with and understand. I did finish it glad that I’d read it, but if reading a tour guide to European food featuring lots of random encounters with members of the opposite/same sex sent your idea of a good time you might be better off avoiding.

Red, White and Royal Blue and One Last Stop are among my favourite books so I eagerly awaited Casey McQuiston’s newest adult novel. When I read the synopsis, I was a little unsure whether it would be quite as much to my taste as the previous ones but I found that once I started reading it I couldn’t stop and raced through it.

I really enjoyed that each half of the book was told from a different protagonist’s point of view so we got to see how they viewed the situations and hear from them about their past relationship and how they felt things had gone.

Both of the main characters were written with such depth and complexity they felt very real. Their flaws made them all the more human. The side characters were entertaining and each of them added brought their own flavour to the story.

The locations, food and drink which are central to the book are written with such detail and passion they made me long to visit and experience them for myself. You could tell the author had put much time and effort into researching everything and had a wonderful time doing so.

The book also deals with some serious topics such as gender and identity which I thought were handled perfectly.

Another amazing LGBTQ+ book from this author which I cannot recommend highly enough.

This book is a love letter to food and travel, the narration really puts the reader in the headspace of someone passionate about finding new flavours. I suspect a lot of traditional romance readers will be troubled by how much Kit and Theo have sex with other people and how the book seems pretty fine with that.

The perfect queer romance doesn't exis...

As someone who pretty much only reads queer romance novels (they're the easiest thing for my brain to consume before bed), I can't tell you how much I loved this book.

It had all the possible elements I could have hoped for in a book like this: two bi folks, one of whom is non-binary, and the other is an artsy guy who is a bit femme. Lots of non-monogamous hotness as they get off on seeing (and hearing) each other with lovers. Plus, it's a second-chance love story, which is probably my all-time favourite subgenre.

Plus, add to the mix that the book takes place across a three-week European food and wine tour. So, each chapter is set against one of my favourite cities and focuses on all the delicious treats you can sample in each destination.

It's as if you added a whole bunch of wild queer non-monogamy and sexual tension to Stanley Tucci's Searching for Italy TV series. Deliciousness on every level.

I will definitely re-read this at some point and gift it to a few like-minded friends.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an ARC.

I feel like whenever Casey brings out a new book, their writing gets better and better. I was so enamoured by Theo and Kit’s love story and felt their story to be a realistic one, with fate threading them together in so many ways. I really enjoyed the European tour as the story’s setting along with the cast of colourful characters along the way. It’s a great summer read that I hope everyone else enjoys.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5 stars
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

The Pairing follows Theo and Kit, who went from childhood best friends to roommates to lovers and then to exes while flying to Europe for a food and wine tour. Four years later, both of them reunite while on the same tour.

“If I can give my whole heart to love without fearing the cost, I will regret nothing.”

I have been a fan of everything Casey McQuiston has written so far and reading this synopsis got me so excited to dive into this story! My only tip when diving in, make sure you’ve eaten beforehand!

I loved how the story opened with flashbacks to how Theo and Kit got together and sort of the aftermath of the fight they had on the flight where they broke up. It immediately set the tone and got me interested in who these characters were. I also loved how the first half of the book was from Theo’s POV and around half-way it switched to Kit’s!

The moment they reunite on the bus and the tour starts, you’re taken on a journey throughout Europe which will get you hungry, thirsty and made you wish you’d go on the same tour! The descriptions about the food and wine truly had me mouth-watering! Also, I couldn’t help myself as I too drunk wine while reading about this amazing vacation.

Theo and Kit are both very complicated characters in the best way. They are so well rounded and very clear in their wants, needs and aspirations. I loved seeing them both free and confident and being their true selves. I think it was so freeing that they reunited as exes, having grown and found who they truly are in the years apart.

I loved, loved, loved the forced proximity trope both Theo and Kit experienced! It was super fun to see them navigate the tour with each other, as they had both come alone, as well as the lingering feelings they still have for each other! Honestly, their romance is something out of a fairy tale! The deep connection they have for each other brings such deep levels to their friendship and relationship and is amazing to read! Also, the fact that they admit to themselves rather early on that they still have feelings for each other was so mature.

I loved how this plot played out and how they went on an adventure and found more than they had expected at the beginning! This whole book made me smile all the way through!

Overall, The Pairing is a wholesome, heart-warming and loving story that made you wanna go on the same vacation and have a love like theirs!

this book was one of my most highly anticipated books of the year and, unfortunately, it was rather disappointing. there‘s just something missing.

the concept of the story interesting, with some parts being enjoyable, however, it became rather repetitive and long. i also have to say, i skipped majority of the spice. the story started off strong, but it soon when downhill and just not as enjoyable as i hoped it would be.

with the characters, i liked kit more than theo, however, both of them were one dimensional with them only having one thing that makes them. they needed more personality, more character in order for me to feel more connected to them.

i’m so sad that this book wasn’t the five star read that i hoped it would be.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of the book in exchange for an honest review!

DNF at 25%. It both my and the book's fault. My fault because I just finished another book which is very similar in terms of tropes, setting, plot points, etc, and it emotionally wrecked me. The book's fault because Theo was pretty annoying and immature which threw me off and didn't help. I love Casey McQuiston so maybe I'll give it another try but right now it's not doing it for me.

So, unfortunately this book was not how I hoped it would be. I loved Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuinston, it is a fun book and has become a comfort read for me. I haven't gotten around reading another book by Casey McQuinston and The Pairing sounded like a great read, so I absolutely wanted to read it. Well, it was alright and Casey's writing style was as fun and relaxed as usual, but the book itself was just not really it. First of all, Theo. Theo is a nepo baby, which is really bad for them (?), so they whine a lot. Oh, and they also tend to really hurt Kit's feelings. That's basically what I remember of them. Kit was alright, he was just kind of timid and I sometimes thought to myself: "JUST TALK TO THEM". The Story itself was kind of fun, the idea at least. In reality it was very unbelivable that suddenly everyone was just gay or bi? I mean, it is cool, just not realistic and I think if the author would have toned it down a little bit it would have worked, but it was just over the top. Why did I give 3 stars in the end? I wanted to give 2,5. 2 would be too little, because despite the books length I actually flew through the book fairly quickly. I also wanted to know if Kit and Theo would end up together and how their relationship would develop in the book. The author also wrote some interesting side characters that made the book fun to read. All in all I wouldn't read it again and also wouldn't have thought that this was a book by Casey McQuinstion if I wouldn't have known (except for the writing style). I still had fun though.
Thank you Macmillan and NetGalley for the ARC!